'Terror will score and we will win the match'

Terror Fanteni's final appearance for Ajax Cape Town and Santos coach Jean Marc Ithier still facing the axe despite signs of a genuine turnaround are the big talking points ahead of the final round of Absa Premiership fixtures for the year this weekend.

On Saturday Ajax host Golden Arrows at Athlone Stadium (kickoff: 7.30pm), while Santos hit the road for Sunday's tricky encounter with Platinum Stars, shock winners over defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in midweek.

Fanteni will join top Israel club Maccabi Haifa once he has done duty for Bafana Bafana at next month's African Nations Cup finals in Ghana. He has been in sparkling form for his club, and all eyes will be on the 23-year-old as he looks to sign off on a winning note.

"It would be great to score on top of us winning the match," said Fanteni. "I have enjoyed a wonderful career in local football and want to thank the (Ajax) fans, all of whom have made life in the elite league easier for me. There's nothing better than to run out and play in front of an appreciative crowd.

"Fans who don't like you can so easily break your confidence, and I count myself among those who tried hard to always entertain the people."

Fanteni scoffed at suggestions of panic in the Ajax camp due to the current slump in the results column. "Every club goes through such periods. The key is not to allow the confidence to drop as a result. We have enough quality players and the boys are determined to remain at the top going into the recess."

Ajax PRO Shooz Mekuto said they were sad to lose Fanteni, but they wished him everything of the best on his new career path.

"It's sad to see him go after we gave him the opportunity to prove himself when no one else believed in his ability. He was from the lower leagues, but boasted all the attributes to make the grade in the top flight and (Ajax) recognised those qualities.

"Now Terror stands on the threshold of international glory with Bafana and with Haifa. It's a big stage, but we at Ajax believe he is well set for the challenges."

He added: "We hope that youngsters across the country would have been positively inspired by the way Terror fought off the negatives of life in the townships as well as a serious illness to rise to the top of the football pile."

Will he end his Ajax stint on a successful note? "Terror will score and we will win the match," said an upbeat Mekuto.

Meanwhile, rumours are rife about at Santos that club boss Goolam Allie has been chasing the services of former Botswana under-23 coach David Bright as the new man in charge.

Word is that Bright will be introduced to the hot seat early in January, something that will not go down well with supporters of Ithier, who appears to have at long last got the combinations and playing style right.

The timing could not have been worse for the likeable Ithier, whose charges have, after a dismal start, secured impressive results against high flyers Bloemfontein Celtic, Kaizer Chiefs, SuperSport United and Ajax.

Santos operations manager Edries Burton confirmed that they had held talks with the relatively unheralded Bright, but that nothing had been finalised as yet. For now, though, Ithier's looking to keep the winning momentum.

"Stars will be fired up after they beat Sundowns," he said. "And they are also under the guidance of new coaches, so we are expecting a tough match. I am confident, however, that, with the resurgence and the tremendous team spirit, we will keep improving on our way up the ladder."

- WEEKEND'S PSL FIXTURES

Friday: Wits University v Moroka Swallows.

Saturday: Free State Stars v MamelodiSundowns, Kaizer Chiefs v Black Leopards, SuperSport United v Bloemfontein Celtic, Ajax Cape Town v Golden Arrows, Jomo Cosmos v Thanda Royal Zulu

Sunday: Platinum Stars v Santos, AmaZulu v Orlando Pirates.